At the heart of nearly every biological process is the underlying cell biology that allows scientists to "see" what is happening within a cell. Dynamic high-resolution imaging has therefore become a mainstay in nearly any biological laboratory. While the technology has continued to evolve at a rapid pace, much of the imaging remains low-throughput where only a single sample can be analyzed at any given time. With the advent of large-scale genomics, proteomics, and functional genomics approaches being major routes to new discoveries, it is imperative that we also have the ability to complement those studies with high- throughput cytology. This proposal is to acquire a high-throughput confocal imaging system. The proposed instrumentation comprises a high-throughput microscope system, environmental chamber for live mammalian cell work, plate handling robotics and data servers. The system is specifically designed to perform high-content imaging of samples in a multi-well plate format (6-1536 wells). This instrumentation will allow our users to approach a wide array of biomedical questions that can be pursued through high- throughput analysis of fluorescently labeled samples. The ability to perform high-resolution imaging of cells progressing through mitosis will allow users to elucidate molecular mechanisms of cell cycle progression and the potential identification of new targets for chemotherapeutic development. The ability to perform high-throughput genetic screens of microbial cell division and differentiation as well as biofilm formation will allow users to gain insight into the mechanisms controlling these processes and may lead to the discovery of new pathways for antibiotic development. Finally neuropharmacological signaling is crucial in all aspects of brain function. The ability to perform pharmacological screens in high-throughput cytological assays would be a major enhancement over their current approaches of elucidating the signal transduction pathways. Overall the proposed instrumentation would have a significant impact on the research approaches and progress made by life sciences researchers at our university. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]